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My '68 Kaiser M715

90K views 124 replies 36 participants last post by  poolmike 
#1 · (Edited)
'68 Kaiser M715 Finally some progress!

Did some test fitting yesterday and made some very simple 3/8" angle iron mounts that I will need to gusset and clearance in some areas.

The truck has been treated to new floors and rockers, a rebuilt 6.2 Turbo diesel(which I haven't even started yet). Then I pushed it aside for a year+. I threw the 6.2 back on the engine stand this week in favor of my newly aquired 'Wonder' Bread engine.

Here is the chassis with the 6.2




Now with the Wonder engine. I Wonder if it has any compression. I Wonder how much blow-by it will have. I wonder if it will start at all.






 
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#3 ·
my great grandmother had a saying. " you'll wonder and wonder until a crow builds a nest up your arse, then you'll wonder where it got the sticks from. " but she was a cranky old bag. why not hook up some power and fuel, and start the sucker up ? easy to pull and fix anything now. looks like it will be sweet rig.
 
#5 ·
I love to watch heavy diesel iron coming together. Keep up the good work and thanks for the pics!
 
#17 ·
SWEET

is the ceramic coating all around...the inside? it looks like the inside of the turbo housing is also coated

I can't disclose my price on the coating...I have a buddy in the business. He has been powder coating for years and just started ceramic. His work is top notch. To properly ceramic coat a manifold/header, it should be done inside also. I did tell him about this site, and to check into vendor status. His link is below.

www.boneheadperformance.com
 
#18 ·
Did some more test fitting today. After having the cab off for so long and cutting out the rockers and floors for some fresh metal....I have been praying that everything would bolt back together properly. So far it has been going well. Today I decided to bolt on the windshield frame so I could push the glass out of it and prep the frame for paint, then I got carried away and bolted on the trail doors that I cut into a while ago and threw the top bows and canvas into place.





 
#22 ·
Did you have to take the stock brackets off the frame to fit the cummins in the engine bay?
I have a 4bt with the ford trans and was wondering if I will have the same tilt as yours???

Thanks,


Dave-

I did cut the stock frame horns off and used some 3/8" thick 6" angle iron to fab up the new frame/engine mounts very basic, ugly and functional. I believe the Chevy adapter is the only common set up that requires the 'tilt'.

thats is a great project! really like it.
Thank you!

Awesome project, I am also diggin' the drab everywhere! I love the early J-Trucks, Gladiators and the M715 of course. It looks like you may have swapped in some GM axles, at least the front Dana 60 anyway. I could be mistaken but I thought that the original front axle had closed knuckles and therefore drum brakes. It looks like you have disks.

Yes, I did swap in GM axles with hydroboosted discs all the way around. Stops like a new truck, possibly better.











 
#21 ·
Awesome project, I am also diggin' the drab everywhere! I love the early J-Trucks, Gladiators and the M715 of course. It looks like you may have swapped in some GM axles, at least the front Dana 60 anyway. I could be mistaken but I thought that the original front axle had closed knuckles and therefore drum brakes. It looks like you have disks. :rasta:
 
#23 ·
Wow!!! Very cool truck. I love M715's and you did a very nice job on your's. :D How much is left to do? How does it drive?

In case you don't know, you missed the shimmy dampers with the OD green. I'm sure you will correct this oversight soon. ;)

Now an Alaskan Camper on the back and you are ready for the month long trip to Newfoundland. bounce

Randy
 
#24 ·
Well, I still have some work to do. I just ordered gears/lockers this morning. The axles have non matching gears...3.73 front, 4.10 rear. I wanted to try the 4.10's to see how they are and much to my surprise, it is not too bad. I am however changing to 4.56 with a Detroit out back and an Eaton up front. I figure with those gears, some 40"ish highway treads, and some engine mods, this truck will move out good enough when loaded. It will never be the worked 406sbc that was in there, but the efficiency is much better.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Lockers?

Mike: I noticed that you live in PA. It snows there doesn't it? I realize you probably won't drive this truck that much during the winter, But,,,you might want to rethink that Detroit in the rear. The problem with this setup is if you drive the thing at all on slick roads it will become very scary to drive, very fast, like instantly.

Any time a Detroit has ANY power "ON it", it is locked. The only time it is unlocked is when you are "coasting" around a corner and one wheel can turn faster than the other. When you drive around a corner and it is slick as soon as you apply power one tire slips and it locks (abruptly) and the result is a spin out or worse. Also if you drive on a slick IE: snow covered road that is sloped from one side to the other the truck WILL slide sideways to the lowest point because both wheels are driving.

Like I said the ONLY time the diff is unlocked is when coasting around a corner. The only time it CAN unlock is when there is No power holding it locked AND one wheel can turn faster than the other. If you are coasting strait the diff is locked. So when you hit the slick stuff off camber you slide. If you hit the brakes, and lock the wheels they are locked together so the truck slides just like under power except that you can't control the wheelspin like when you are accelerating.

Typically in the rain you have to coast around corners because as soon as you apply power the diff locks, and away you go. In slick mud or snow this makes the vehicle very difficult to drive without running into things.

With an open or a selectable locker left open, when you side hill one wheel drives and the other holds the vehicle in line, similarly when you corner you can apply power in the turn and smoothly negotiate the corner.

I won't say you can't drive a locked truck under these circumstances, but 100% concentration is required at all times.

In a vehicle with selectable lockers you only lock the diff or diffs for the short time needed to negotiate what ever obsticle you absolutely need the traction for, then you go right back to unlocked as it makes the vehicle much easier to turn, and thus much more manueverable. Realistically you are unlocked 99.999% of the time. This is the beauty of the selectable locker, You get Detroit Traction, with out Detroit Quirks, which are with you 100% of the time even though you only need the traction .0001% of the time. Detroits just aren't made for the street.

I have driven a Hemi Cuda with a Detroit locker in the rear, and it was interesting, and it never got wet, because when it rained it stayed in the garage.

Trying to drive a Detroit locked vehicle through the rocks is how you get PopEye Arms. It is also the reason for all of the Aftermarket Hydraulic Steering assists.

Better to put a Eaton in the rear too, that way you get best of both worlds, and you can drive around in the snot in 4wd with the diffs open and be safe while doing it. You'll only be into it another $150-200 if you can exchange the Detroit.

Randy
 
#29 ·
For an extra $200 you could have best of both worlds, and it sure would make the truck alot nicer to drive.

Before I built my first Jeep I had the experience of driving a Jeep for a week with Detroits in it. It wasnt too bad in the dirt. But on the street I scared myself, and in rocks it was just plain exhausting. When I built my Jeep I put ARB's in it from the get.

I've done alot of time on rock trails out west and my ARB's have saved me many a heartache, not to mention wasted energy. I've watched my friends struggle in the rocks repeatedly when they couldn't get their detroits to unlock while trying to steer and turn in tight places.

In the rear of a full blown crawler fine, unless it has rear steering then no. In the front never. I've just seen them cause too many problems that the controllable ones just don't have.

Like I said best of both worlds, none of the drawbacks.

Randy
 
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